(10 a.m. EDT) -- The 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic has been marked by two cruise ships that ventured to the North Atlantic site of the tragedy.

According to the BBC, there was a moment of silence onboard Balmoral, which embarked from Southampton, and Azamara Journey, which departed from New York. The ships sat side by side at the site, about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Wreaths were cast into the sea by both ships to honor the 1,500 who perished.

The BBC's Chris Buckler, who is on Balmoral, reported from the scene: "In the middle of the Atlantic a ship's whistle sounded to mark exactly 100 years since the Titanic struck an iceberg. At that moment passengers stood in silence on the decks all around the MS Balmoral looking out into the darkness … After the excitement of the departure and earlier days at sea, the ship seemed eerily quiet. In the cold of the North Atlantic one person described the atmosphere as 'almost ghostly.'"

Earlier in the day, the BBC reports, passengers on the two ships "listened in silence as the names were read out of those who died when the liner sank on its maiden voyage. Those on board also said prayers, and many relatives of those who died cried during the service."